Remember when Josh Willingham was putting together the best offensive numbers of his career and looking like a legitimate All-Star candidate? Yeah, not so much anymore.

Willingham is in a world-class slump right now. At the All-Star break, he was hitting .281 with 15 homers, 46 RBI, a .411 on-base percentage and a .913 OPS. In 22 games since then, he's batting a paltry .198 with a really paltry .281 on-base percentage and a really, really paltry .244 slugging percentage. He hasn't homered since July 2.

So "The Hammer," who also looked shaky in left field last night, is taking a seat on the bench tonight. He's replaced for this game by Willie Harris, who despite the overall wretched numbers, is batting .281 with a .410 on-base percentage since July 8.

Scott Olsen takes the mound for the Nationals, looking to beat his former team for the second time this season. He shut out the Marlins over six innings April 30 at Sun Life Stadium. Chris Volstad starts for Florida.

I should have known that for the one series that I chose to attend all 3 games Willie Harris looks to start 2 of 3. I have to find a way to look at this optimistically. Umm… At least Brian Bruney can't come in to relieve anymore?I'm hoping that if I whine about this in advance he will prove me a fool and he hits for the cycle. Call it pre-emptive whining. You wouldn't let me down, would you WIllie Harris?

It seems unlikely that Harris will be back JayB. You saw how desperate Rizzo seemed to be in finally getting Guzman's roster spot back. Morgan might make a better utility guy than Harris. He can certainly field a lot better …

At least he's batting 8th instead of 2nd or 6th. I have one question. Why can't ANY of our organizational pitchers sacrifice bunt? The only 2 guys on our entire staff that can bunt are Livan and Olsen (maybe Marquis but he's never in the game long enough to bat)and they learned their wares in other organizations. I've watched them work on it in Spring Training and they don't seem to practice it to the extent that makes them proficient. This is one of my many pet peeves.

Nats pitchers not being able to bunt goes back to Acta and 2007. Frank R. had them bunt and they could do it fine…..This goes to a constant question I have for Rizzo….what is the "Nationals Way" and why is our farm system so poorly trained in the Fundamentals….every year.

Let's look at the bright side … the Nats weren't going to the playoffs this year no matter what Willingham did in July, August and September, and his superslump could be saving the club millions in arbitration dollars. Dollars that can now be spent on a veteran free agent RF or CF, or someone new to man the middle infield, or a reliever to join Clippard and Storen in the late innings.

I agree with NatsJack on the relative defensive merits of Harris and Morgan. Morgan has more potential on range but he can come up with some goofy misplays, especially at or near the warning track.One other outfield note from me. Bernadina has the range of Morgan and a great arm. But he is very erratic in hitting the cutoff man and a great arm isn't of much use if you can't put the ball where it needs to go.

I agree, JayB. One only has to look at Desmond to understand either we don't teach solid baseball skills or he's not a very bright player.My main hope is the adddition of Davey Johnson and the new scouting staff will put an emphasis on baseball instincts when assessing players whether for drafting purposes or trading, free agent types.Our fundamentals have been lacking since Frank left but remember that he was playing guys who for the most part were veterans.

Harris looked lost in right field. His arm isn't the greatest in center (as with Morgan), finally his speed limits his range and UZR. This would not be the case with Morgan. Perhaps limiting his playing time would help his focus? Harris has made his share of goofy errors … loved seeing him at third base.Morgan appears to hit better from the left side. Steals bases and can create havoc for opposing pitchers if again, focuses, on his base running and keeps his head in the game. Harris DOES NOT have this ability.Morgan is a keeper IMHO. Harris is not.

I have the same questions about our farm system and teaching fundamentals as expressed by JayBRome wasn't built in a day. Year 1 for Rizzo. Noting that Burgess remained in Potomac. Marerro in Harrisburg. Defense and solid baseball skills are being emphasized. Yet, it is pretty sad when the organization has to rely on players like LIvan and his brother Orlando to emphasize these things and the hard work required to get good at it. Hopefully, Yunieski Maya will exhibit the same attitude in his play. And then there's Pudge.You can't have enough good role models around … especially talented guys like these … still at some point the coaching has to come to the same level as the coaching that players like the Hernandez brothers received in Cuba. C'mon people!?

With Morgan, we'll be bringing up the rear in the East for as long as he's here. Solidifying our defense up the middle with improved catching, short and 2b and definitely cf will be imperative if this club ever hopes to realize the benefits of the young arms coming up.Solid pitching and defense is the key to playoff baseball and the defenders we're putting out there now do not measure up by any means.Anyone who thinks otherwise is just fooling themselves.

definitely cf will be imperative if this club ever hopes to realize the benefits of the young arms coming up.Well Crawford certainly won't help with this. Nor would Werth who will not be "Werth" what he be asking for. Better use that money to sign Dunn.So, BJ Upton could be the next logical trade candidate. Has he has an off year? Yes, his WAR was over 4 just 2 years ago. But he is still 1.3-1.4 even with the hitting problems he has been having. And he does play a pretty decent CF. Be nice to have someone like Peter Bourjos to bring up and put in the line up as the Angels have … and there is also Boomer Whiting and JMax.

Morgan can create havoc on the bases…sometimes against the opponents and sometimes against his own team. It is unbelievable how many times he has been picked off or thrown out. When Morgan is "on", he impacts the game positively. But the problem with a half-baked player is that underdone side keeps turning up.

No surprise on Willingham. Last year was the same story, close to .300 during the first half and about .220 in the second half. In sum, he is a .260 hitter, with 20-25 home run power and a mediocre left fielder. Beyond that, he's 31 years old so it's probably downhill from here.

Me three, on the lack discipline in the Nats farm system. Desmond is the poster kid for that disgrace. I mean the kid was in the system, for what 6 years? Do you mean to tell me that no one could have helped to work on Desmond's fielding during that period of time???What do guys like Foli and Johnson (both middle infielders by career)do when they're not BSing with whomever they're BSing with?Pitchers not being able to lay down a bunt, yeah that's one of my pet peeves too!

I've been told that the pitchers practice bunting nearly every day. I suspect it is with a coach lobbing it in about 40-50mph. Why not practice against someone throwing a little heat in their side session?

Scott Olsen made $250K in incentives for starting his 11th game of the season tonight, according to Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post (Twitter link). Does this make you sick or does it make you really sick?

That throw by Harris sums up this team and is a reflection on the coaching staff. You have to hit the man you're throwing to, or the cut off man. How many times have the Nats handed over bases to teams by air-mailing throws. Willie brings nothing to the table with the glove or the bat. Willingham has provided nothing with the bat recently, and very little with the glove. Is there any possibility of seeing JMax out in left, with Roger and Morse? His bat might not be there, but at least he has a glove and an arm. Our starting left-fielder tonight is missing a bat and an arm. But he is fantastic at watching pitches go by.

I think Willie should've been charged with an error on the throw, as Josh should've been charged with the one off his glove last night. Does anyone else think that "official" scoring has gotten way too lenient?

@ManassasOur hitters just need to do the job like the Marlin hitters. No excuse for this pathetic effort again. The hitters cannot afford to go bad when the the pitching is bad, they must come through, and they haven't as a whole most of the season. .255 is a bad batting aver. RISP is .251For the game Marlin's RISP is 5 for 9 Nats 1 for 4.

O's did what Nats should have done….get a real manager who will demand guys hit cut off men and focus…..If O's can win with that talent in that division Nats should be doing much better by now. Firing the whole coaching staff is a fair response to this season's under achievement.

Mark, it may be true about Michael Morse, but I still think Riggs had to try it to find out. Would've been nice if he'd kept hitting like that, but at least now we know. (or are starting to know–my jury isn't fully in yet)

On a brighter note (and we need one badly!), there's a nice article by Jeff Dewees on "Pennlive.com" about Steve Lombardozi's dad, the former Major Leaguer with the same name, watching his son's first AA start today in Harrisburg. Steve Jr. was in his familiar-from-Potomac-Nats lead off spot. He got 2 hits and looked great in a Senators' win. (Lots of great stuff about the Senators on Pennlive.) The Senators re looking very good right now, unlike the mothership. http://blog.pennlive.com/patriotnewssports/2010/08/father_and_son_ex-big_leaguer.html

JayB: For once I agree. All those wins over the last two weeks merely got Riggs up to his lifetime .440 average. Certainly McCatty ("Perfect mechanics? I don't know what those are") has to be shown the door. He's making Saint look brilliant.Most, if not all, of the talent is here. We saw it in May before "Jeezus" ever got called up. You watch, though: they'll probably have another hot streak in late September and everyone will be back next Spring, and we'll get more of the same.Sorry folks, I'm out of Kool-Aid. See you next season… maybe.

Uncle Jimmy being impressed with Willingham's playing with an injury all season doesn't impress me. You hear that a lot about Nats' players from Nats manager and coaches, e.g. Stammmen, Martin, Marquis, etc. Like there's some macho glory in running crippled in LF, while the opposition runs trickle in. Better to find these things out early, and do something about it. Its old school dumbed-down nonsense to do otherwise. Kirk Gibson hobbling around the bases on a pinch HR–now that's real baseball drama. Willingham letting a fly ball go off his glove, or over his shoulder—all your doing is fooling the fans and helping to destroy a pitching effort.

81 wins was required this season or they failed in their off season moves and/or way under achieved or as it turns out BOTH.If Rizzo does not make major changes this off season he is a fool and he is not in my view.I see changes in the coaching staff with Riggs being fired in May if they do not come out of April above .500I see Morgan, Willingham both traded.I see Harris,Kennedy, Neives, cut loose.I see Steve McCatty fired along with Bull Pen, Bench and 1B coaches. I see Maxwell, Lannan, Chico, Stammen, traded as parts of a larger deals.I see a complete turn over of the Orr, Mench, Duncan types and those jobs at AAA being filled by our own home grown talent who have yet to show any real promise but will get the ABs one last year.I think we will also see major turnover in the player development area. Coaches and teachers there have failed to produced.Rizzo loves his job, it is all he ever wanted to do in life. He is very lucky to have it and if he fails here he will never get another chance. He knows baseball and what it this franchise should look like….and it is nothing like Natstown 2010.